- Date
- August 30, 1983, 12:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bettles, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N87TABell B-206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19830830045229A
- Case key
- 4159
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The helicopter made a autorotative forced landing after a loss of power during cruise. The landing was made on a road and the main rotor severed the tailboom. During the post-accident investigation a leak was found in the auto valve(part number 206061634-3) of the fuel pump. Also some brass and lead was found in the fuel and the fuel pump is the only element in the fuel system to use brass bushings which are also impregnated with lead to aid in lubrication. The fuel pumps components (bushings) were round out of tolerance when measured. A reenactment flameout was accomplished when the fuel pumps were'failed'by pulling the circuit breakers and, as in the actual accident flameout, there were no indications on the cockpit instruments.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N87TA
- Reported as
- Bell B-206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1996
- Airframe hours
- 2,663
- Engine
- Allison C-20, 400 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Trans Alaska Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SCC · Deadhorse, AK
- Destination
- BTT · Bettles, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 300 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.